How to defeat weather effects?

[Zanos]

So one of the characters in our party is convinced that casting Blizzard(Frostburn) all the time is a very good idea.

This spell does two things that have been...not great for the party:

Visibility is reduced to zero, making Spot, Search, and Listen checks and all ranged attacks impossible.

We can deal with the visibility issue with snowsight, which I think I can get the meteorologist to cast on the party before casting this by just dispelling the blizzard if there's no snowsight up.

The ranged attack issue, though, is causing problems for the archer character in our party, who is rendered close to useless by this spell.

Are there any spells we could cast on him or magic items that would let him shoot through the blizzard? We have a pretty big stockpile of gold for buying magic items and my character can cast most any buff. We're levels 11-13.

[DrMotives]

You just said you can fix visibility with snowsight. That's the exact problem your archer is having, per the quote.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Hmm. By RAW, there doesn't appear to be any wind effects, interestingly enough. Visibility drops to nil, flames go out, there's nonlethal cold damage, and movement is impeded by snow (and anyone lying down is likely to start suffocating by having a foot of snow dumped on them every round), but no wind. Snowsight should do the trick.

EDIT: If your DM does rule that there's wind, anything less than windstorm strength still allows ranged attacks, albiet at a penalty (-2 for strong winds and -4 for severe).

[Bebbit]

So one of the characters in our party is convinced that casting Blizzard(Frostburn) all the time is a very good idea.

This spell does two things that have been...not great for the party:


We can deal with the visibility issue with snowsight, which I think I can get the meteorologist to cast on the party before casting this by just dispelling the blizzard if there's no snowsight up.

The ranged attack issue, though, is causing problems for the archer character in our party, who is rendered close to useless by this spell.

Are there any spells we could cast on him or magic items that would let him shoot through the blizzard? We have a pretty big stockpile of gold for buying magic items and my character can cast most any buff. We're levels 11-13.

You could get the Force enchantment on it from the MiC pg35. It's a +2 that changes your arrows into Force attacks, negating any impediments from weather effects.
It also bypasses DR, and will hit Ethereal and Incorporeal creatures.

[Zanos]

Ah, I guess I was just inferring that there was wind, since that's usually what screws with ranged attacks. And it's called blizzard.

Thanks guys.


You could get the Force enchantment on it from the MiC pg35. It's a +2 that changes your arrows into Force attacks, negating any impediments from weather effects.
It also bypasses DR, and will hit Ethereal and Incorporeal creatures.
Is that the case? I don't see anything in the description of the property about weather effects.

[Jowgen]

Freedom of Movement really should work under it's the "attack normally" effect. You might think this a permissive reading, but do consider that MIC (Stormwrack) have several items that grant FoM for the purpose of Underwater attack, and those don't preclude ranged attacks either.

If that won't fly (hehe... puns), the sure-fire high-end solution is a Ring of Weatherproofing (Far Corners of the World: Magic Items of the Sky article).

[Bebbit]

Ah, I guess I was just inferring that there was wind, since that's usually what screws with ranged attacks. And it's called blizzard.

Thanks guys.


Is that the case? I don't see anything in the description of the property about weather effects.

Hmm, I could be wrong. I always thought since they changed to a Force attack instead of Physical, that it would be treated like other attacks withe the Force descriptor.
Further research shows to me that it's still considered an arrow, and thus by RAW would still be affected by weather.
So nix that idea.

[Eldariel]

Hmm, I could be wrong. I always thought since they changed to a Force attack instead of Physical, that it would be treated like other attacks withe the Force descriptor.
Further research shows to me that it's still considered an arrow, and thus by RAW would still be affected by weather.
So nix that idea.

It's a reasonable interpretation but not RAW, much like the matter of Forcecage vs. AMF.

[Nupo]

A foot of snow every round is going to add up real quick. When you say "all the time" Do you mean during combat, or quite literally all the time? If you mean literally all the time, after an hour you will have 600 feet of snow on the ground! If it's a hot climate it will be melting fast, creating rivers of runoff everywhere. Even if you only cast it during combat it will quickly bury buildings, dungeon entrances and so on.

Actually it's real hard to even imagine snow falling that fast. I know it's a fantasy game, but a foot of snow every six seconds is more like an avalanche than snowfall.

[Zanos]

Freedom of Movement really should work under it's the "attack normally" effect. You might think this a permissive reading, but do consider that MIC (Stormwrack) have several items that grant FoM for the purpose of Underwater attack, and those don't preclude ranged attacks either.

If that won't fly (hehe... puns), the sure-fire high-end solution is a Ring of Weatherproofing (Far Corners of the World: Magic Items of the Sky article).
That ring was just the kind of thing I was looking for. The meteorologist also like control winds and stuff so I'll keep it in mind. Expensive, but not out of the question given our massive stock of loot.


A foot of snow every round is going to add up real quick. When you say "all the time" Do you mean during combat, or quite literally all the time? If you mean literally all the time, after an hour you will have 600 feet of snow on the ground! If it's a hot climate it will be melting fast, creating rivers of runoff everywhere. Even if you only cast it during combat it will quickly bury buildings, dungeon entrances and so on.

Actually it's real hard to even imagine snow falling that fast. I know it's a fantasy game, but a foot of snow every six seconds is more like an avalanche than snowfall.
Just in combat, but yeah. We're currently trying to fight back some rat creatures that are invading Baldur's Gate, and I tried to convince him that dropping dozens of feet of snow on wooden buildings containing cowering civilians in a half mile diameter isn't a great idea. Because this kills the commoners.

[Nupo]

Also, your rat creatures would probably go subnivean, and just use the snow as cover.

[ellindsey]

It seems to me your problem is not how to deal with snow and wind, but that one of your party members is deliberately and knowingly casting a spell that adversely affects the rest of the party. Have you tried asking him not to? Deal with the cause, not the symptoms.